Investing in the FutureJordan’s Leadership Drive Change

By:

Suhair Al Khatib, Ph.DAdvisor, Ministry of ICT

Jordan

May 2, 2006

Head of State:H.M King Abdullah II

Population5.323 million. Population growth rate reached 2.5%

AreaTotal: 89,213 sq. km (34, 445 sq. miles); Land: 88,884 sq. km (34, 318 sq. miles); Water: 329 sq. km (127 sq. miles)

GDP:GDP at Market Prices US$11.51bnGDP at Current Prices US$2,163

GDP Growth:Real GDP growth rate in 2004 was more than 7.5 percent, up considerably from 4 percent in 2003.

Structure of the Jordanian economy as a percentage of GDP, 2004

services72%

industry26%

agriculture2%

Why ICT in Jordan

Leadership Support

“The vision of Jordan is to become a regional IT leader and an internationally recognized exporter of IT products and services exploiting its core human capital advantages. The key to success is the central role of the private sector, which spearheads the sustained entry of the sector into international markets.”

“We have followed a path that will allow the technological revolution to harness our available talent into productive sectors that can fuel and sustain economic growth"

H.M King Abdullah II

ICT Sector Potential

$300$200$140$80Exports

$300$200$140$83Investments cumulative from 2001 (FDI)

2500020000160008523Employment

$1.75Bn$1.3Bn$900m$ 440mGross output

202020152010End 2004

ICT Sector

Source: JV2020

Education System

Jordan ranks among the top Arab countries in education expensesERfKE Programme – revamping the K-12 educational system10 public universities, 12 private universities, and 17 community colleges

house more than 120,000 students

Universities produce more than 5,000 high caliber, bilingual (Arabic and English), ICT graduates each year72% of schools have internet access

Committed Skilled Young Talent

70% of population under the age of 25 (3.8mill)Literacy rate of about 90%20% of Jordanians obtain higher educationJordan ranked 14th out of 110 countries for the number of engineers and scientists (WEF 2005)Jordan ranked 27 out of 102 countries for the quality of the educational system (WEF 2004)

Government Support

Identifying ICT sectors as drivers and enablers of economic and social growth Mandating Ministry of ICT to work towards achieving the National GoalsFurnishing modern laws and clear regulatory environmentWorking in complete partnership with the private sectorRole out programmes and initiatives supporting the national goals (NBN, JEI, Knowledge Stations.. Etc)

2004DEC.1999

MOICT restructuredEntrusted with IT sector

First ICT Strategy launched in 1999 by His Majesty King Abdullah II•Goal of transforming into a knowledge based economy•Creating leading ICT technology hub in the region

•Comprehensive ICT Policy Statement•ICT Strategic plan 2004-2007•NITC

20032002

Jordan ICT Milestones

Fully liberalized telecommunication market

1995

Modern Telecom Law enactedTRC established

2000

JT incumbentprivatized

Jordan ICT Vision

A competitive ICT sector that is given the widest possible scope to enhance the quality of life of citizens and contribute to the socio-economic development of the Kingdom

Readyfor the

world…

Mission:

“Creating the legal, institutional and commercial environment for a market that rewards innovation and yields products and services at affordable prices to consumers.”

“Increasing skill sets, confidence and work readiness amongst young Jordanians and expanding community understanding, application and use of ICT.”

Incorporating ICT into the Lives of Jordanians

Programmes & Initiatives aimed at;

Supporting Innovation & EntrepreneurshipConnecting universities & schools with High speed internet accessAdapting schools curricula to meeting challenges of the information society developing contentAvailing connectivity to rural areas and establishing community access points and bridging the digital divide Capacity Building/ Youth development/ PPPIncorporating ICT in government (launching e-Government program)

Supporting Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Innovation Centers & Incubators

Technology Incubators to encourage innovative solution development in partnership with private sector:

Yarmouk UniversityJordan Innovation Centers Network

I-park incubatorsJordan Innovation CenterPhiladelphia UniversityJIC – University of JordanAl-Hasan Industrial zone

Research & DevelopmentR&D Strategy (under draft)1% of revenues to be spend on R&DInnovation Fund with Microsoft

Connecting universities & schools with High speed internet access

National Broadband Learning and Educational Network (NBN):

NBN Network in Jordan

National OverlayNetwork

5000 km optical fiber

Access to 1.5 m persons by 2008

8 public universities GEANT17 community colleges

3300 public schools300,000 students

114 knowledge stations12 learning centers

Adapting Schools Curricula to meet Information Society Challenges

Jordan Education Initiative

JEI: Vision

A global capacity building model of effective public-private partnership that leverages reform to generate

value through innovation.

JEI: Objectives

Improve education and its role as a catalyst for social and economic development

Develop a public-private partnership model.

Build the capacity of Jordan’s IT industry

Develop innovative learning solutions by the industry in partnership with world class firms:

creating economic value and mutual beneficial

business opportunities

JEI: Achievements

Since it started in 2003:5 e-curricula (Math, ICT, English, Arabic, Science)

Piloted in 100 Discovery Schools

Global Education Initiative (as of 2005)

17 global corporations, 17 Jordanian entities, and 11 gov. and non-gov. org. work to achieve JEI objectives

JEI: Figures

50000ICT Trained Teachers (all over Jordan)

4000Total PCs in Labs

5500Students Benefiting

227Total Computer Labs

100Connected Schools

TextText

Availing connectivity to rural areas and establishing community access points and bridging the digital divide

E-Initiatives

E-Initiatives: Objectives

Increasing awareness of the benefits of using ICT Improving access to technology Enabling all Jordanians to partake in the Information

Society Bridging the digital gap Empowering local communities to use ICT for their

own development Assisting Jordanians in integrating ICT into their daily

lives Develop entrepreneurship spirit Increasing youth employment in the ICT sector. These

programs will lead to improved economic, cultural and social prospects for all citizens

Net Corps Jordan:Training of young volunteers on ICT topics and

recruiting them to transfer knowledge130 graduates working as ICT agents in their

communities contributing towards SME development

Mother and Child program Training of kids (4-7 years) on language and math using

computersParents (especially mothers) take part74 children graduated

Robotics:make education a fun experience Annual competition for best Robot development

Intel Computer Clubhouse:An after-school community-based technology learning programProvides a learning environment and ICT tools where young people explore

their own interestsEncourages young’s creativity

Knowledge Stations:Public centers with computers, internet, and trainers.114 all over kingdom to dateProviding access points for e-GovernmentProviding electronic services to the communitytraining 58000 Jordanian and 34000 visitor, which created 800 different job

opportunity.

PC@every home:affordable price, and convenient payment facilities.In progress

E-village:WlIFI1st community based radio station.Movie clubhouseCISCO Academy

Ensuring that Jordanian citizens have access to ICTs within their reach

Advanced Infrastructure

•Jordan is already well endowed with telecommunications infrastructure. A fixed or mobile telephone service is available almost universally in inhabited areas of the country, and penetration has reached more than 93% of households overall and the minimum penetration at a regional level is 75% of households in rural areas of the South Region.

•As a consequence of market liberalization, Jordan is adopting a universal ‘service’ obligation model where a requirement is placed upon operators to serve particular geographic areas or groups of citizens where commercial services is not viable.

•The purpose of maintaining universal service and universal access is to ensure economic and social development in the Kingdom of Jordan.

Capacity Building

Opportunities for Youth

Junior Professional Program:Talented Jordanian ICT students are trained in

renowned companies in Jordan or abroad.3 students were sent to UK

Intel Scholarship program – financing education in Jordanian universities for top performers, and providing training opportunities at Intel offices around the world.

Microsoft Internship Programme

E-government

Connecting all local and central government departments and establish websites and email addresses with ICTs

E-government programInfrastructureE-servicesOperation & maintenanceCapacity building / change managementShared servicesStandards and specifications

SGN Secure government network

Portal Project Phase I: Directory of all government institutions

King Abdullah Award includes a pillar on e-government.

Regional e-government initiative –UNDP-ICTDAR

Shared Experiences

Investing in ICT is Key to Socio-economic growth and prosperityIn order to empower ICT sector into creating more

opportunities, three critical challenges has to be overcome:

Ensuring access, improving quality, and providing the right teaching for our time.

IT initiatives will remain as initiatives if not supported by a proper sustainability modelPublic-Private partnership is key to ICT DevelopmentEducation and innovation are pillars for future

development, …ICT is a tool and Youths are the implementers.

THANK YOU

We may be a small country, but we have big ambition for our young population